Unlike the five-inch ZTE model, this time we’re squarely in phablet territory, with the Ascend Mate2’s display measuring in at an expansive 6.1 inches. Unfortunately, the IPS panel’s resolution isn’t as high as the size might suggest, coming in at just 720p.

With a 1.6GHz Snapdragon 400 and 2GB of RAM, processing power similarly falls short of flagship-level performance, but the phone’s cameras sound capable enough, with a 13MP f/2.0 main shooter and wide-angle 5MP front facer. The Mate2 will ship with 16GB storage (microSD expandable), and measure a not-too-thick, not-too-thin 9.5mm deep.

So far, there’s nothing too impressive here… and then we get to the battery. Huawei gives the Mate2 a sizable 3900mAh power pack, easily besting the capacities of larger phablets, like Samsung’s Galaxy Mega 6.3 – frankly, we’re better off comparing it against full-fledged tablets. You can even use the battery as an external power source to help charge other phones – early orders will come with just the cable you’ll need.

Huawei says that giant battery gives the Mate2 the ability to browse the web for twelve hours, watch three movies back-to-back, or talk for over a solid day straight; does it actually deliver? Well, we recently had the opportunity to check out the Ascend Mate2 4G LTE for ourselves, and put it through its paces for our review; check out the whole thing to learn just what we found, including if this mammoth battery lives up to the hype.

Sales of the Mate2 open today for pre-order, exclusively through Huawei’s new gethuawei.com site. There, the phone will run you just shy of $300, unlocked and contract-free (and with a complementary case, to boot). Band support is all ready for either AT&T or T-Mobile LTE, but while that leaves you free to pop in the SIM of your choice, orders placed between now and June 22 will also come with a SIM pre-paid for a month of service; just which carrier that’s for hasn’t yet been revealed, but we expect that detail to arrive shortly. Shoppers ordering today should look forward to their phones arriving in about a week.

Stephen has been writing about electronics since 2008, which only serves to frustrate him that he waited so long to combine his love of gadgets and his degree in writing. In his spare time, he collects console and arcade game hardware, is a motorcycle enthusiast, and enjoys trapping blue crabs. Stephen's first mobile device was a 624 MHz Dell Axim X30, which he's convinced is still a viable platform. Stephen longs for a market where phones are sold independently of service, and bandwidth is cheap and plentiful; he's not holding his breath. In the meantime, he devours smartphone news and tries to sort out the juicy bitsRead more about Stephen Schenck!